c. 


Number  96  October,  1919 

BOWDOIN   COLLEGE   BULLETIN 


George  Taylor  Files 


1866-1919 


Brunswick,  Maine 
1919 


Entered  as  second-class  matter,  June  28, 1907,  at  Brunswick,  Maine,  under 
Act  of  Congress  of  July  16, 1894 


Published  monthly  by  the  College 


GEORGE  TAYLOR   FILES 


George  Taylor  Files 


1866-1919 


Brunswick,  Maine 
1919 


Contents 

Page 

Chapel  Address  5 

By  Kenneth  Charles  Morton  Sills,  LL.D., 
President   of    Bowdoin    College 

From  the  Records  of  the  College  Faculty  12 

Editorial  from  the  Portland  Evening  Express       14 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2012  with  funding  from 

University  of  Illinois  Urbana-Champaign 


http://archive.org/details/georgetaylorfileOObowd 


Chapel  Address 

May  4,  1919 

By  President  Sills 


For  the  third  time  within  two  years  the 
College  is  called  upon  to  mourn  the  loss  of 
one  who  gave  to  her  the  service  of  a  life- 
time and  whose  brilliant  talents  were  placed 
whole-heartedly  at  her  feet.  More  than 
most  organizations  the  college  is  personal 
and  living.  The  college  deals  with  persons, 
not  with  things,  with  the  spirits  of  men,  not 
with  property.  And  while  in  the  modern 
college  there  is  of  necessity  a  rather  elabor- 
ate system  of  administration,  while  there 
are  many  activities  that  center  about  a 
rather  complicated  social  and  athletic  life, 
when  you  come  down  to  the  heart  of  things, 
the  college  consists  of  those  who  teach  and 
those  who  are  taught.  In  no  other  business 
of  life  are  men  so  closely  and  so  intimately 
associated,  and  the  association  is  usually  for 
long  periods  of  time  and  often  for  life,  as 
on  the  faculty  of  a  small  college;  and  in  no 
other  relations  are  there  more  personal  con- 
tacts than  between  teachers  and  students. 
The  outside  world   does  not  well  consider 


Bowdoin  College 

this ;  careless  observers  do  not  understand  it. 
But  we  who  are  all  members  of  the  College 
who  work  and  study  and  play  here  together 
realize  our  common  loss  when  in  the  prime 
of  life  one  is  taken  from  us  whom  we  have 
respected  and  honored  and  loved  as  colleague 
and  teacher. 

George  Taylor  Files  was  born  at  Portland, 
September  23,  1866.  His  father  was  a  well 
known  Portland  school  teacher  and  principal, 
and  it  was  of  course  natural  that  the  son 
should  go  to  the  home  schools.  He  fitted  for 
college  at  the  Portland  High  School  where 
he  graduated  in  1885.  It  was  also  natural 
that  he  should  go  to  the  college  with  which 
his  native  city  has  more  associations  than 
with  any  other  institution,  so  that  he  came 
to  Bowdoin  and  soon  was  one  of  the  leaders 
of  his  class  both  in  scholarship  and  in  other 
activities  such  as  the  glee  club  and  in  gym- 
nastic exhibitions.  He  took  his  degree  here 
in  1889  graduating  at  the  head  of  his  class. 
In  college  he  had  shown  such  interest  in  in- 
tellectual things  that  it  was  no  surprise  to 
his  friends  when  he  decided  upon  an  aca- 
demic career.  He  studied  at  Johns  Hopkins 
from  1889  to  1890  and  in  Europe  from  1891 
to  1893  taking  his  Ph.  D.  degree  from  the 
University  of  Leipsic  in  1893.  Most  of  his 
graduate  work  was  done  in  Anglo-Saxon  and 
in  other  Germanic  languages.  His  residence 
in  Germany  gave  him  an  excellent  command 


George  Taylor   Files 

of  that  language,  which  he  spoke  with  un- 
usual facility  and  accuracy.  As  things 
turned  out  most  of  his  life  was  given  to  ad- 
ministration and  teaching;  consequently  he 
had  little  opportunity  for  pure  scholarship. 
But  his  dissertation  on  the  Anglo-Saxon 
house  and  one  or  two  critical  editions  of 
German  works  showed  that  he  had  been  well 
trained  and  that  he  possessed  scholarly  in- 
stincts. 

All  of  his  teaching  was  done  at  Bowdoin. 
From  1890  to  1891  he  was  tutor  in  languages 
here  giving  instruction  for  the  most  part  in 
Greek — an  admirable  preparation  for  his 
later  work.  From  1891  to  1894  he  was  in- 
structor in  German,  a  part  of  the  time  on 
leave  of  absence  to  study.  In  1894  he  be- 
came professor  of  German,  which  position  he 
held  until  his  death.  In  1894  he  married 
Miss  Edith  Davis,  of  Portland,  who  sup- 
ported him  devotedly  in  all  his  generous  im- 
pulses, who  with  him  gave  to  the  College 
each  year  a  fund  that  brought  some  of  the 
most  famous  clergymen  of  the  country  here 
to  Brunswick  as  college  preachers.  In  1899 
he  studied  social  conditions  in  Germany; 
during  the  academic  year  1905-06  he  resided 
in  Europe ;  in  1909  he  spent  six  months  and 
in  1913  he  spent  nine  months  in  foreign 
travel;  and  his  last  leave  of  absence  to  do 
over-seas  work  with  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  extended 
from  February,  1918,  until  his  death,  April 


Bowdoin  College 

23,  1919.  The  distinguishing  feature  of  Mr. 
Files'  teaching  was  his  enthusiasm.  He  al- 
ways made  his  classes  interesting  and  popu- 
lar, and  he  felt  that  the  best  methods  to 
employ  in  stimulating  his  students  were  con- 
stant encouragement  and  liberal  praise. 

As  is  the  case  with  too  many  teachers 
on  the  faculties  of  our  colleges,  very  much 
of  Mr.  Files'  time  was  taken  by  administra- 
tive duties.  From  1897  until  1905  he  was 
registrar  of  the  College,  an  officer  who,  as 
there  was  then  no  dean,  had  to  come  into 
close  contact  with  the  students  and  help 
them  with  their  programme  of  studies.  Mr. 
Files  gave  an  enormous  amount  of  time  to 
this  work,  and  with  the  assistance  of  Pro- 
fessor MacDonald  changed  our  old  fashioned 
methods  and  founded  the  recording  activities 
of  the  College  on  a  sound  basis.  That  office 
meant  a  great  deal  of  attention  to  dreary 
details,  sacrifice  of  time  and  energy  and  the 
leisure  that  is  absolutely  necessary  for  good 
scholarship.  Such  service  is  too  often  ill 
repaid.  I  should  like  here  to  make  public 
acknowledgement  of  the  great  debt  of  the 
College  for  labors  cheerfully  and  willingly 
performed.  In  many  other  ways  Mr.  Files 
was  active  on  the  Faculty.  To  the  work  of 
the  very  useful  committee  that  has  charge 
of  the  buildings  and  grounds  he  contributed 
very  much;  he  felt  that  beautiful  surround- 
ings have  not  only  an  artistic  but  an  edu- 

8 


George  Taylor  Files 

cational  value,  and  he  did  very  much  to  make 
our  campus  a  thing  of  beauty.  His  friendly 
ways  and  his  ability  to  work  with  others 
made  him  popular  with  all  with  whom  he 
came  in  contact;  and  it  is  high  praise  and 
the  kind  of  praise  he  would  like,  to  say  that 
nowhere  will  he  be  more  kindly  remembered 
than  by  the  janitors  and  other  employees  of 
the  College. 

It  has  been  one  of  the  fondest  traditions 
of  the  College  since  her  earliest  days 
that  the  members  of  the  Faculty  should 
take  a  lively  interest  in  the  affairs  of  the 
community.  From  the  time  of  Parker 
Cleaveland  down  there  have  always  been 
men  on  the  Faculty  who  have  been  fond  of 
Brunswick,  who  have  given  of  their  time 
and  thought  to  the  town,  and  whose  advice 
and  counsels  have  been  sought  by  the 
authorities  of  the  town.  Such  a  man  was 
Mr.  Files.  He  was  president  of  the  Village 
Improvement  Society,  of  the  Brunswick 
Dramatic  Club;  he  had  been  a  member  of 
the  local  school  committee  and  had  been  a 
candidate  for  the  legislature.  A  prominent 
citizen  of  Brunswick  said  recently  he  was 
not  a  man  who  could  be  spared.  And  his 
activities  extended  also  to  the  State. 
Throughout  Maine  he  was  regarded  not  only 
as  perhaps  the  best  known  member  of  Bow- 
doin's  Faculty,  but  as  the  original  and  con- 
sistent champion  of  good  roads.     He  was 


Bowdoin  College 

one  of  the  leading  highway  experts  of  the 
State;  he  did  much  to  secure  progressive 
legislation,  and  he  gave  very  freely  of  his 
time  and  of  his  money  to  the  cause.  He  also 
was  an  early  advocate  of  aeronautics,  and 
with  Admiral  Peary  founded  a  society,  be- 
fore the  war,  to  secure  better  protection  by 
means  of  air  craft  for  our  long  Maine  sea 
coast.  The  extent  of  Mr.  Files'  services  to 
Maine  may  be  estimated  from  the  fact  that 
in  nearly  every  State  newspaper  of  import- 
ance from  Portland  to  Houlton  there  were 
editorials  devoted  to  him — some  of  which  de- 
clared that  in  the  history  of  Maine  his  name 
would  ever  hold  an  honored  place. 

His  labors  for  college,  town,  and  state 
were  fittingly  crowned  by  the  glorious  op- 
portunity that  he  seized  to  be  of  service  to 
his  fellowmen  on  the  battlefields  of  France. 
For  a  man  of  his  years  and  health  and  tem- 
perament, to  insist  on  going  over-seas  simply 
from  the  call  of  duty  was  in  itself  an  act  of 
high  patriotism.  When  he  left  Brunswick 
he  made  light  of  the  dangers  and  hardships 
he  was  liable  to  incur,  and  said  simply  that 
it  seemed  to  him  imperative  that  a  man  in 
his  position  with  his  knowledge  of  languages 
and  his  experience  should  do  something  for 
his  country  at  the  time  of  her  dire  need. 
Those  of  us  who  had  heard  him  speak  in 
Memorial  Hall  last  December  and  who  even 
then  were  anxious  about  his  physical  condi- 

10 


George  Taylor  Files 

tion  realized  that  to  a  man  of  his  sensibilities 
service  with  the  Y.  M.  C.  A.  in  the  danger 
zone  had  been  indeed  hazardous.  No  man 
can  penetrate  the  veil  Fate  draws  over 
human  beings  and  their  actions,  yet  it  seems 
altogether  probable  that  had  Mr.  Files  been 
less  zealous  in  his  work,  had  he  taken  greater 
precautions  for  his  health,  he  might  be  with 
us  today.  As  it  is,  he  has  left  to  us  all  a 
splendid  memory  of  one  who  gave  himself 
fully  and  gladly,  of  another  golden  star  on 
our  Bowdoin  banner  shining  forth  as  an 
example  of  patriotism  and  self  sacrifice.  The 
scholar  has  finished  his  learning ;  the  teacher 
has  taught  his  last  class  and  left  to  us  all  a 
noble  example  of  industry  and  devotion. 
Best  of  all  his  service  abroad  unstintedly 
given,  his  last  illness  borne  with  patience 
and  courage  and  marked  consideration  for 
others,  have  won  for  him  praise  higher  than 
usually  falls  to  mortals.  Here  at  Bowdoin 
he  will  long  be  remembered  as  a  very  kindly 
and  very  brave  man. 


11 


From  the  Records  of  the  College  Faculty 


For  twenty-seven  years  Professor  George 
Taylor  Files  was  a  valued  and  loved  member 
of  this  Faculty.  He  was  an  able  and  in- 
spiring teacher;  his  thorough  training  and 
scholarship,  his  linguistic  attainments,  his 
appreciation  of  the  best  in  literature,  his 
broad  human  interests,  his  genial  person- 
ality, and  his  sincere  concern  for  the  wel- 
fare of  his  students,  aroused  in  them  a  de- 
sire to  excel  and  won  their  hearty  admiration 
and  affection.  He  also  possessed  marked 
ability  as  an  organizer  and  administrator. 
His  tactfulness  in  dealing  with  men,  his 
systematic  thoroughness,  his  love  of  order, 
and  the  patient  attention  to  details  which  he 
always  gave,  as  a  member  of  important 
Faculty  committees,  and  particularly  during 
the  years  when  he  was  Registrar,  enabled 
him  to  render  valuable  service  to  the  College. 

His  death  has  brought  to  his  many  friends, 
and  especially  to  us,  his  colleagues,  a  deep 
sense  of  personal  bereavement.  With  grati- 
tude we  recall  our  many  years  of  close  as- 
sociation and  friendly  intimacy  with  him, — 
his  generosity  and  geniality,  his  eagerness 
and  enthusiasm.  With  pride  we  shall  cherish 
the  memory  of  his  bravery  and  self-sacrifice 

12 


George  Taylor  Files 

in  leaving  his  family  and  the  many  comforts 
of  his  home  to  go  over-seas  and  carry  good 
cheer  and  give  his  invaluable  assistance  to 
wounded  and  suffering  soldiers.  And  ever 
with  gratitude  and  pride  we  shall  recall  that 
he,  our  friend  and  colleague,  heroically  gave 
his  best,  even  his  life,  to  uphold  the  princi- 
ples of  freedom  and  democracy,  of  justice 
and  righteousness,  which  Bowdoin  College 
has  always  endeavored  to  teach  to  her  sons. 


13 


Editorial:    Portland  Evening  Express 


The  whole  State  mourns  the  loss  of  Pro- 
fessor George  T.  Files  whose  death  occurred 
yesterday.  Few  men  in  Maine  had  a  larger 
circle  of  true  friends,  and  no  man  deserved 
them  more.  Facing  the  best  years  of  his 
career,  with  wonderful  ability  to  carry 
through  anything  which  he  undertook,  his 
life  meant  much  to  the  State  he  loved  so  well. 
His  remarkable  work  for  better  highways 
in  Maine,  for  the  upbuilding  and  develop- 
ment of  the  State  along  progressive  lines, 
his  exceptional  ability  as  a  public  speaker, 
and  his  driving  force  in  any  cause  which  he 
felt  was  right,  will  never  be  forgotten.  Bow- 
doin  owes  much  to  Professor  Files  and  the 
thousands  of  boys  who  passed  under  his 
guiding  hand  during  his  many  years'  con- 
nection with  that  institution,  will  always  re- 
call with  deepest  reverence  the  splendid 
memories  of  those  days.  Among  business 
men  he  was  recognized  as  possessing  marked 
ability.  A  tireless  worker  for  his  friends, 
for  his  State,  and  for  his  country,  with  never 
a  thought  of  self,  he  practically  offered  him- 
self as  a  sacrifice  to  the  causes  for  which  he 
fought.  Never  exceptionally  robust  the 
great  strain  of  his  work  in  Europe  was  too 

14 


George  Taylor  Files 

much  for  him,  and  his  heart  and  constitu- 
tion could  not  stand  up  against  it.  The 
name  of  George  T.  Files  will  live  long  in 
the  memory  of  the  people  of  Maine.  Even 
after  the  present  generation  has  passed 
away  the  results  of  his  work  will  live  and 
be  remembered. 


15 


UNIVERSITY  OF  ILLINOIS-URBANA 


